About This Site
This site was created by Tim Murphy, urban anthropologist and Associate Professor of Urban Studies at Worcester State University. During lockdown in the spring of 2020, Tim found himself taking daily walks at Providence, Rhode Island's Dexter Training Ground, commonly known as Dexter Park, on the city's West End. In the midst of much uncertainty and social unrest, the park took on new meanings for Tim. Although leading up to that point, he had spent a significant amount of time near and in the park, occasionally walking around it and often passing through it, these daily springtime walks became meditations on the park, its people, and the meanings that surround it. He found that the park's clearly defined border, its relatively small size, and its location at the intersection of neighborhoods that are home to people of various socioeconomic statuses, races, ethnicities, linguistic groups, religious beliefs, ages, education levels, and political views made it an ideal setting to demonstrate the practice of ethnography. Here, students can learn about and think through this research method in urban settings, with a special focus on one in particular that many of us are quite familiar with - the beloved park.